


Goodbye

by MarquiseWanda



Category: Free!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25737145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarquiseWanda/pseuds/MarquiseWanda
Summary: Rin has found a new job as a shark monitor in Australia. During his last holidays with his friends before he leaves, he has to bid his last goodbye to a bitter Haru.
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka, Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Kudos: 13





	Goodbye

Lyrics: _In the Closet -_ Michael Jackson

"Why does my glass have a leaf in it?" Rin growled as soon as the waitress passed him the drink he had ordered.

"It's Mojito" Haru offered indifferently, ignoring the woman while serving him his beer. "It's supposed to be like this"

Rin cast a slanted look towards his friend, who was now pouring his foaming drink into a cool glass coming straight from the fridge. Its golden pallour sparkled invitingly to him, dissolving into fissuring bubbles of white that raced to the surface to form a thick crest.

Across the table, Nagisa was buzzing cheerfully; neither Rin nor Haru had heard what he was nagging about—he was _Nag-_ isa, after all, surely he needed no reason. It was easy to guess, though, that he was trying to snatch a sip from Rei's Cosmopolitan. Rin giggled, but Haru, who had witnessed such scenes one too many times, found his beer far more exciting; and it was there he decided to devote his entire attention this time.

"You haven't had a sip" Rin observed, his eyes rolling up and down the tall, cool glass of Kaizer.

Haru shrugged. "Why couldn't they fetch me the pineapple juice I ordered?"

"It's too late" Rin smiled smoothly, baring his shark teeth. "They serve only alcohol after twelve"

He parked his back on his chair, looking so positively smooth as he folded his arms behind his head. "Besides, you asked for beer"

" _You_ asked for beer" Haru corrected, the slight edge of his voice impossible to discern in his stolid expression.

"I _suggested_ Kaizer and you went for it" Rin shrugged. "If you don't like it, you should go for something else"

" _Too late for that"_

It wasn't the comeback that invited Rin's attention. It wasn't the steadfast expression Haru held either. It was something in the tone of his voice, something that everyone else would have easily missed but Rin was too intrigued to leave unnoticed, that made him look at Haru more closely. "What is with you tonight?" Rin nudged him somewhat abruptly as it was typical of him; and now Haru was choking on his beer.

"Is everything alright?" the waitress rushed to their table, patting Haru gently on his back. Rin sent her away with a cheerful nod, mindful of Haru's zero's tolerance to being touched.

With firm, round buttocks, and a back covered as much as a dozen of ropes could cover, the stunning woman strutted back to the bar, ignored and unnoticed by all four boys. Normally, it would have been greeted with shocked eyebrows how a group of robust teenagers leave such a coronary thief slide away without as much as a wink. Such frequent incidents, however, were considered to be of trifling wonder in Mykonos, where men were rumoured to come from all four corners of the world to enjoy the company of other men. And so it was that the waitress slipped under the bar, and the three boys tended to their choking friend just as undisturbed.

"Look! It's the pelican!" Nagisa exclaimed and suddenly, the interest of the table shifted from the choking individual to the pink-feathered bird that sashayed out of the bar.

"That's not a pelican!" Rei argued. "That's a flamingo!"

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa hummed playfully, teasing the other boy's nose. "Have you heard of a lot of flamingos loafing about in Mykonos? It's the pelican!" Their glances shifted once again to the bird strutting majestically, obviously shying away from the small crowd of holidaymakers following with their giggles and the flashes of their cameras. Widely inconsiderate to the creature's need for privacy—and even more so to the choking friend who had changed fifteen hues of purple by now—Nagisa grabbed Rei's priceless camera and splashed in the streets.

"Bring it back!" Rei screamed in vain and ran after the blonde, leaving Rin and Haru behind. Rin snickered, obviously amused with the spontaneity of his friends, but the wondering glance he cast on Haru was never returned.

"What 'bout you?"

"What about me?" Haru's lips pouted _ever so slightly,_ eyes fixed on his beer as if it was there he was to find the innocence he had been trying so hard to feign.

Rin crossed his arms on the table, his crimson eyes having yet to let go of Haru. "You haven't congratulated me yet" He said it impishly, as if he hadn't noticed Haru squinting on his cleavage; because it was just the two of them now, and if there was a way Haru could slip out of, Rin had yet to know it.

"Of course I have"

"I believe you haven't"

"Haven't I now?"

Rin's shark teeth glinted with a hint of triumph. His victory was near and he could feel it in his bones. He knew Haru too well to miss the signs; the slight tremble of his beer as he brought it closer to his lips, the nervous giggle that was _too_ unbecoming for someone who spent his waking moments wearing a colourless expression of indifference, but most of all, the blue eyes that usually reflected Rin's own and, that night, they stubbornly took in their surroundings, hoping for a distraction.

_Let me hear it,_ Rin seemed to be screaming. _Please, let me hear it._ He observed the way Haru's fist clenched around the glass, raised it and took a sip, his movement underlined with no tension or drama, the lack of which was a statement in itself. And Haru who, after all, owed it to their friendship, licked the foam off his lips and went down with it.

_"Congratulations"_ he mewed, and the façade of passivity clung on to his face due to stubbornness alone. It was only the slight discomfort of his voice that jeopardised his pride. "I am sure your new job is going to be spectacular"

Rin's eyes were still pinned on him, as if the performance had left a lot to be desired. Being a drama queen himself, he usually appreciated the heartfelt statements, the explosive speeches, and of course, had a keen eye for tears. Seeing that Haru's performance lacked in all three of these aspects, he shook his head disappointed with an inaudible tutting. "Will you visit me?" he said against all odds, giving Haru another chance.

_Cause If It's Aching  
You Have To Rub It_

"Australia is too far" Haru droned, and gulped down some more beer, the hastiness in which he took down the Kaizer he had admitted to not liking a while ago impossible to be missed. His cheeks had grown a distinct hue of rosy and gradually, he was starting to feel his limbs hanging from his body as loose as if was underwater.

"Sousuke's coming" With his arms behind his head, Rin laid back and watched the frustration ripple across Haru's features, distorting them to convulsion. Smothering a snicker, Rin brought his own features back to seriousness and licked his lips for the final blow. "You should come together!" Haru's fingers squeezed about the unmoving glass of beer, tension building up inside him. "After all, I don't think you have many friends who have been hired to monitor sharks in Australia apart from me—"

_Touch Me There  
Make The Move  
Cast The Spell_

Glasses clanked violently, the force of Haru's bang on the table waving below them. Rei's Cosmopolitan was now upside down, the pink liquor dripping on the marble floor and the glass dangerously close to the rim of the table, only to roll down and clatter into a dozen pieces. Haru's own Kaizer tumbled all over Rin's uniform, darkening the grey surface with enormous splotches. Rin blinked; no sooner did he look up from his drenched uniform, than he saw Haru steaming towards the exit. He smiled, more amused than ever.

In front of the dancing crowd, buzzing back and forth in tune with the horrible music, Haru caught himself gulping; surely there was no way he could bring himself to squeeze inbetween and steer himself to the exit. The sweat of all those people captivated his attention; his eyes rolled around the countless bodies separating him from his freedom, contaminated with night, youth and intimacy. The mere thought gave him vertigo. His jelly knees trembled; his upset stomach unnerved him with a sensation he was not able to ignore. Feeling the little content of his insides on the verge of gushing forward, Haru covered his mouth and closed his eyes—

"Haru!"

He jibbed off Rin's grip. "Let go of me"

"Hear me out—"

"Don't touch me!"

_Because There's Something  
About You Baby  
That Makes Me Want  
To Give It To You_

Their growls were smothered in the volume of the music, which was considerably louder next to the dancing area. Rin's grin was completely wiped off his face now; his crimson eyes glinted menacingly, and Haru knew they weren't playing anymore.

"Where are you going?"

"That is none of your business—"

The fingers around his wrist tightened; Haru tried to shake them off. They would not yield; Rin was already pulling him through the thick crowd. The sensation of being touched by everyone, randomly or deliberately, the sweaty skin brushing against his or even rubbing with his made him sick. He closed his eyes and gave way to Rin, hoping the distress would be over if Rin had it his way and dragged him out.

_Just Promise Me  
Whatever We Say  
Or Do To Each Other  
For Now We'll Make  
A Vow To Just  
Keep It In The Closet_

The streets were an even worse nightmare; waves of people flowed up and down, leaving not a breath of opening for the two boys to ferret in. Haru contemplated at them not without a hint of terror; they all looked harmless, in their expensive clothes, their astonishing perfumes and the golden tan sunbathing in Mykonos's most fabulous beaches had given them. They all glowed with pride and joy, and yet the thought of being crammed among them terrified Haru beyond reason.

"What is with you tonight?" Suddenly, Rin slid between him and the unimaginable crowd, and he was instantly distracted. His back was pushed against the white wall, a shock to his upset body trying to catch up its breath. "You've been acting up all night—what is the matter?" Rin pressed, unaware of Haru's efforts to come round.

"Why would you care?" he spoke nonetheless, surprised at his own voice and the volume it soared on. "You'll be in Australia tomorrow, why would you care about m—"

"Haru—"

"Leave me alone!" A sob covered his voice, and Haru tried to gain his hand back; Rin banged Haru's wrist on the wall, the rough surface piercing his complexion, reddening it with fresh scratches. "You're hurting me"

"So are you"

For the first time that night, their eyes crossed; in that unique way red and blue matched, mingled and merged with one another, locking into a passionate communication, a fierce fight that left no winners or losers; nothing but the sheer will to fight and keep on fighting, to rise above and be thrashed, annihilated by one another.

"You don't even care that I am going to leave" Rin sobbed, his lids batting to shed off tears down his cheeks. Haru witnessed the change not without some shock; the playfulness Rin had exhibited earlier, the certainty that the situation was under his control, that _Haru_ was under his control, was not to be found in any of those tears that were now streaming freely in rivulets. "We've been here for the entire week and you've been acting as if you don't even care… I thought that you didn't want to show how much it hurts you…" His grip around Haru's wrist loosened, leaving a void that was pain and created pain, too. "But I am leaving tomorrow… And I don't want to leave like this—"

"It was _you_ who decided to leave, Rin" Haru said now more calmly, looking at the other without a hint of understanding. "What do you want from me?"

"What do I want from you?" Rin echoed fiercely, his speech gaining in volume and rage. "What do I _want_ from you? What I want from you is to care that I am leaving! What I want from you is to care that you and I are not going to swim together for a long time!"

"You made your choices, Rin" Haru detached himself from the wall and escaped from Rin's captivity. Rin was too weak to put up any resistance. "Don't expect me to care about you when you don't care about me"

A punch exploded on the wall, denting it. So furious was Rin, that he couldn't even feel the pain. "What makes you think I don't care about you, Haru?"

"Because" Haru mewed, choosing his words very carefully; it was the last piece of himself he would share with that person and he knew it. "If you cared about me, you wouldn't leave me behind" No sooner had Rin taken the words in, than Haru turned his back and walked away, certain that Rin would no longer chase after him. Indeed, Rin felt his knees grow weak and give way; his back clashed with the wall as he collapsed and he cried, watching Haru walk away, and himself doing nothing to bring him back.

* * *

The moonlight invaded the room, dropping the temperature with its pale light alone. Haru opened his eyes, wondering if he had even managed to sleep at all. Nothing seemed to have changed. His fingers clasped about the sheets that retained the coolness of the night; they were necessary to keep himself warm, even though he was shaking beneath them all the same.

"Hey"

The voice sounded warm and familiar; it was the missing element of the night, the warmth none of his sheets and none of his friends could secure him with. Haru blinked once again to make sure.

"What are you doing here, Makoto?"

In the double bed he and Rin had been sharing, it was Makoto who had now taken his place next to him. His green eyes locked with Haru's tempestuous blue ones, pinpointing all those words and emotions that Haru would not unleash; hearing them and feeling them all the same, in spite of the silence Haru had chosen to bury them in.

"I came to see you, Haru-chan" The irritation brought about by those two last words was palpable; and yet there was no change in Haru's expression. _Don't call me Haru-chan,_ Makoto expected to hear, and yet such words were never heard, much to his dismay. "You sounded terribly upset every time we spoke on the phone… I was worried about you"

"I'm fine" Haru snapped, the familiar expression of boredom doing so little to back his words and everything to contradict them. Makoto smiled.

"I didn't expect you and Rin to be sharing a double bed" he said kind-heartedly.

"It was the receptionist's fault. Apparently, this kind of thing is usual in Mykonos"

"I see"

His voice, so destitute of the insinuations it should be heavy with made Haru feel very awkward. He rose, rubbing his salty eyes and parking his back against the head of the bed. He made no move to look at Makoto; and yet he knew and he felt that each and every one of his moves was being monitored.

"How long have you been here?"

Makoto took it as a cue and rose, as well. Sliding out of the sheets, he sat up next to Haru; the moonlight dressing him with a coat of white pallour over the bare shoulders and the straps of his black shirt. "Just a couple of hours. I didn't mean to wake you up"

Haru turned to him, only to find out he was being stared at already. "You should have"

The silence between their stares locked, doing nothing to inhibit the communication that was already there. The colour of their eyes mixed into a mutual serenity, doing nothing to clash with one another, only to accommodate to one another. It was Haru who broke the contact first, pretending to be contemplating on the round moon out of the window. The eerie, unseen, mysterious power that swayed the waves and dishevelled Haru's own emotions, drifting him with them, apart from them, everywhere into that room and everywhere out of it; he marvelled at the moon with round eyes, conscious of his weakness for the very first time.

"Where is Rin?"

The question might as well have never been heard. Makoto remained staring on his marble friend, coloured white as a statue under the divine, lunar illumination. A giggle broke the icy atmosphere. "Don't tell me he ran off with one of those tourist girls around here!" he said benevolently, his voice carrying no guile. Haru felt he admired him for that stubborn kindness that made him feel so little in comparison. Everything about Makoto was safe and nice; a motherzone.

"He is leaving for Australia tomorrow" Haru said while he didn't want to hear himself say such words; but somehow, he felt he owed it to Makoto's honest attempts at small talk.

"So I've heard" the polite voice replied. "I'm sure he will be very excited as soon as he gets there"

Haru didn't wish to reply; he turned to Makoto, as if trying to absorb the sound of his voice, wrap himself in the cosiness and security of the nexus it knitted around the two of them. A slight blush gave him away; he became aware of it when he witnessed Makoto's expression change into a very relieved one. Haru made no effort to turn around or even conceal his betraying embarrassment. He remained looking at his friend, engrossed in the mystery of those green orbs and the spark of life ignited by Haru's blue eyes alone as pursed his thin lips and nodded.

"Makoto"

"What is it, Haru-chan?"

Silence. _"Take me back home"_


End file.
